Machine for harvesting beets and like tubers



June 5, 1962 c. J-STEKETEE I 3,037,561 MACHINE FOR HARVESTING BEETS AND LIKE TUBERS Filed Oct. 26 1959 ccwn alis J. 5!? kel'ee gwrwmmzmvh mmeg United States Patent 3,037,561 MACHINE FOR HARVESTING BEETS AND LIKE TUBERS Cornelis J. Steketee, 1278 Hoofdweg, Nieuw Vennep, Netherlands Filed Oct. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 848,797 Claims priority, application Netherlands Oct. 29, 1958 2 Claims. (Cl. 171-55) The invention relates to a machine for harvesting beets and like tubers, said machine being provided with two mutually cooperating circular sets of rod-shaped or bladeshaped lifting elements, as has been described in British Patent 792,902 and Belgian Patent No. 553,526. Said rod-shaped lifting elements rotate about a transverse axis and are adapted to lift the beets out of the ground and also to throw the lifted beets to the rear, where they may be taken up by a conveyor.

With machines of this kind the drawback is encountered that particularly in heavy soil beets remain on the ground which are not completely lifted out of the ground or are not received on the conveyor.

The invention has for its object to remove said drawback and according to the invention a grate is arranged between the circular sets of lifting elements and the conveyor taking up the beets, said grate sloping upwards to the rear and on which the beets move upwards, and said grate consisting of longitudinal bars and at its front end terminates in a nose adapted to urge against a beet not yet completely lifted out of the ground. By means of said nose a beet left behind in the ground is urged forwards again between the lifting elements so that said elements are now in a position to completely lift the beet and to throw it on the grate to the rear.

In order to prevent earth from accumulating on the grate the central bar or bars of the grate are disposed on a higher level than the outer bars. With said disposition of the grate bars the layer of earth formed on the grate breaks, so that said layer drops down at the sides of the grate.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing showing an embodiment of the grate with a portion of the sets of lifting elements.

In the drawing FIG. 1 is a side view of the grate and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.

The lifting elements 1 each are secured to an arm 2 to form two circular sets which may be united to a wheel 3 adapted to rotate about a transverse axis in the direction of the arrow a indicated in FIG. 1.

Between the wheel 3 and the conveyor 4 for taking up the beets and carrying same upwards a grate 5 is arranged, said grate being V-shaped and terminating in a nose 6 which is inclined downwards to a certain degree. The

grate 5 is provided with arms 7 bent upwards and by means of said arms the grate is secured to the frame 8 of the machine. To this end straps 9 are provided each of which has a slot 10 for one of the clamping bolts 12, so that the grate 5 with its nose 6 may be adjusted to a higher or a lower level. The grate has three or more longitudinal bars 11 and the central bar of said bars is lying on a higher level than the outer bars.

The machine is moved forwards on the ground above a row of beets in the direction of the arrow b shown in FIG. 1 so that the lifting elements 1 will alternately press on the one side and the other side against the beet in order to lift it out of the ground and to throw it over the grate 5 to the rear on the conveyor 4.

The sides of the grate 5 have such a shape that the lifting elements during their rotation remain just free of the grate.

If a beet should not completely be lifted out of the ground by the lifting elements said beet is urged forwards by the nose 6 of the grate so that it again comes between the lifting elements, which then throw the beet over the grate to the rear.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for harvesting beets and the like tubers, comprising two mutually cooperating circular sets of blade-shaped lifting elements mounted for rotation about a transverse axis, a conveyor arranged rearwardly of the lifting elements for conveying the beets and a grate arranged between the circular sets of lifting elements and sloping upwardly towards the conveyor, said grate consisting of longitudinal bars disposed in transversely spaced relation and having a lower end terminating in a nose portion extending between the sets of lifting elements and adapted to penetrate into the ground substantially to the same depth as the lifting elements to urge against a beet not yet completely lifted out of the ground and bring such beet under the action of the lifting elements so that it may be thrown by the lifting elements onto the conveyor.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinal bars include lateral outer bars and a center bar, the center bar being disposed on a higher level than the lateral outer bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 319,478 Garrett June 9, 1885 1,111,078 Meek Sept. 22, 1914 2,595,340 Diethelm May 6, 1952 2,888,081 Hammer et al May 26, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,526 Belgium Jan. 15, 1957 

